Europe hit by another heatwave as records fall and infrastructure strains

Several European countries, including Slovakia and Austria, are experiencing temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, with millions of people warned about heat-related risks. The current heatwave has exposed weaknesses in public health systems, electricity generation, transport networks and tourism infrastructure, forcing governments and businesses to adapt to more frequent extreme weather periods.

On Thursday, Italy’s health ministry issued a red alert for all 27 cities covered by the national heat monitoring system. This is the first time this year that the highest warning level has been applied to the entire network simultaneously. Authorities advised people and tourists to avoid direct sunlight during the hottest hours, stay indoors as much as possible and drink plenty of water. Major tourist attractions have also adjusted their opening hours, with the Colosseum and the Pantheon remaining open later in the evenings.

In Slovakia, a temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius was recorded on Thursday in the Veľký Krtíš district, setting a new all-time national record. Due to the low water level of the Danube, seven of the eight turbines at the Gabčíkovo hydroelectric plant, the country’s largest, have been shut down. The plant has generated 15 percent less electricity this year than a year earlier because of the lack of water. In Austria, according to GeoSphere Austria, the village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg near the Slovak border broke an all-time heat record on Wednesday, with the temperature reaching 41.2 degrees Celsius. Austria is also experiencing severe drought: from January 1 to June 30, precipitation across the country was 27 percent below the long-term average, while in some eastern regions rainfall was only half the normal amount.

In Hungary, the prolonged drought and record-low water level in the Danube have seriously affected the country’s only nuclear power plant, which uses river water to cool its reactors. Operators have reduced capacity to about 10 percent of normal output, prompting the government to introduce electricity-saving measures. On Wednesday night, Budapest recorded its highest night-time temperature in history, with the mercury falling only to 28 degrees Celsius.

In Germany, concerns are growing about the impact of drought on transport and industry as water levels in the Rhine and other rivers continue to drop. The environmental organization BUND has called on authorities to focus not only on economic consequences but also on making rivers more resilient to climate change.

In southeastern France, firefighters are closely monitoring the Var department, where a large wildfire is no longer spreading but could still flare up again. The fire, which started on July 20, has destroyed more than 60 square kilometers, making it the largest registered in the region in recent decades. The Balkans have also been hit by the heatwave, with temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius. Serbia is battling several large wildfires, one of which has devastated pine forests west of Belgrade, while another has spread near the central city of Kraljevo.